EMPower Oxford

Black students are under-represented in physics, making up just 2% of students on UK higher education physics courses in 2020/21. For comparison, approximately 4% of people in England and Wales aged 18-34 are Black, demonstrating a severe under-representation of this community in physics. It is high time for proactive programmes that create space for young people of Black heritage, along with their parents/carers and families, to engage with impactful science and scientists.

EMPower Oxford, a pioneering programme run in collaboration with science providers and community organisations, will do just that.

EMPower Oxford will build upon our existing expertise in engaging under-served communities and widening participation in physics and associated disciplines. By working with young people and their families at a point at which they are given a lot of power to decide their future, we will help them make informed choices that can enable them to pursue careers in science and technology.

The theme of the research showcased across the programme will be "seeing deeper with science and technology". This will allow us to highlight connections between (1) open-ended research, such as the LHC's ATLAS experiment and the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope, (2) application-focussed technologies such as Medipix4 medical imaging detectors, which stem from that open-ended research, and (3) the facilities both large and small that allow us to delve deeper into the amazing materials that make up our world.

The programme has aims spanning science, technology, careers and creativity. EMPower Oxford will allow young people of Black heritage from the most socio-economically deprived areas of the UK, to: 1. Explore, through first-hand experiences, how we can see deeper with science and technology using: a. Big telescopes to explore the largest scales and far reaches of the universe

b. Large facilities, such as those at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL), to understand amazing new materials at the smallest scales c. Technology developed in Oxford labs and workshops to study the smallest particles at CERN

d. Big Data and computing to collect, analyse and model the huge amount of data generated in cutting-edge physics research such as that at CERN. 2. Develop scientific skills in hands-on workshops in real labs 3. Understand benefits to society brought by both open-ended and industry-directed research.

4. Consider pursuing a career in STEM by providing an opportunity to connect with people in a range of different roles, who have taken a variety of different career paths, to work in this exciting STFC-enabled science.

5. Develop creative media to help consolidate what they have learnt and share their understanding with their families, feeling satisfied with their contribution.

Through the achievement of these goals, the programme will empower young Black students to make decisions informed by a deeper understanding and appreciation of STFC-enabled science, scientists and technology. Thus EMPower Oxford is supporting a long-term goal of increasing the number of people of Black heritage studying and working in STEM.